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Look For Distracted Players |
Many players assume that strategy for online and live games is the same. After all, you still receive two down cards, five community cards, and play against nine opponents. However, there are several characteristics unique to Internet play that requires subtle adjustments including playing shorter sessions, adjusting your playing environment, and avoiding distractions at home. Let’s discuss these unique characteristics in a little more detail and the impact they may have on your strategy. You’d be surprised how many players play two poker tables at one time, read email, watch television, or even talk on the telephone while playing online poker. Those delays we all experience waiting for someone to take their turn is often caused by something other than a complex odds calculation. Based on all of these distractions, some of your opponents may not be aware of all the action that is taking place. This is yet another reason to useless deception in your game, since some of your opponents will not even see some of your plays so that you can gain some future value out of them. Since players move in and out of games a lot, can’t see your face, and are distracted by many other things, they tend to notice less that you are playing a tight game. In a live game, if you sit there a couple of hours without playing a hand, don’t expect a lot of action when you decide to bet or raise. On the Internet, you can play a straightforward tight game for a long time and still get good action when you bet since opponents either do not notice or have not had enough time to realize that you are such a tight player. On the other hand, if you don’t play many hands in a live game, your chances for pulling off a successful bluff are high, while on the Internet I doubt this gives you much of an advantage. A bluff on the Internet is usually only profitable by the merits of the play of the particular hand, not by table image. So remember, table image is not as important online as in a live game. Play a more straightforward game with fewer bluffs and protect your hands against those opponents who try to win every pot by bluffing too much.
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